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Indy 500 Results 2020: Takuma Sato Wins Iconic Race for 2nd Time in His Career
August 23, 2020
Takuma Sato added his name to the record books with a win at the 104th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.
After a dramatic chase for the lead throughout the second half of the race, a crash with four laps left caused an anticlimactic finish as Sato earned the win during a caution. He was about a second ahead of eventual second-place finisher Scott Dixon when the final yellow flag came out.
This event was initially scheduled for May 24 but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. While the race eventually took place, it went forward without fans at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time in its history.
It didn't appear to affect Sato, who was the best in the 33-person field to win his second career Indy 500. He becomes the 20th driver in history with multiple titles at the historic race after also winning in 2017.
Final Results
1. Takuma Sato
2. Scott Dixon
3. Graham Rahal
4. Santino Ferrucci
5. Josef Newgarden
6. Pato O'Ward
7. James Hinchcliffe
8. Colton Herta
9. Jack Harvey
10. Ryan Hunter-Reay
Full results available at IndyCar.com.
Marco Andretti began the race on the pole as he attempted to follow in the path of his grandfather, Mario Andretti, who won the event in 1969. The family had seen some of the top drivers in the sport's history, including Marco's father Michael, although none have won in Indianapolis over the last 50 years.
The drought continued Sunday as the 33-year-old finished in 13th place.
It was Sato who starred in this one, taking over with a pass on the 158th lap:
He was able to stay in front of Dixon despite traffic issues ahead of him, setting up what could have been an exciting finish.
Unfortunately, Spencer Pigot crashed into the pit entrance and caused a caution, which effectively ended the race without a restart.
Despite the questionable ending, the Japanese star began in third place and set himself up for a strong finish before crossing the finish in first place.
The race was one unlike any other, although there was drama right from the start as drivers James Davidson and Marcus Ericsson had accidents that led to an early end to their days:
The remaining cars were all over the place when it came to pit strategy, including a few mistakes, creating significant separation in the early going.
Dixon led by more than 10 seconds by Lap 80:
The No. 9 car led for 111 of the 200 laps in the race.
Caution flags slowed down the race and evened the field, while a restart created one of the bigger collisions of the day on Lap 92.
It still left plenty of drama with several drivers fighting for the lead throughout the second half of the race.
Dixon and Alexander Rossi battled back and forth for first place, while rookie Pato O'Ward held his own against the more experienced competitors.
This remained until a wild stretch for Rossi, which saw him drop from first to the back of the line because of a penalty on pit road. He tried to fight his way back to the front and passed several cars in a hurry after the restart, but his run came to an end on the 144th lap after crashing against the wall:
It resulted in his first Indy 500 without a top-10 finish.
Sato and Dixon became the two top contenders, with Sato pulling ahead on the 158th lap and holding it until the final stretch. Even with a late push from those behind him, Sato showcased excellent composure to stay in front of the field and win the race.
The 2020 IndyCar series season will continue next weekend with the Bommarito Automotive Group Race 1 Saturday and Group Race 2 Sunday, both at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.